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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 180
BY REPRESENTATIVE BURRELL
CONDOLENCES: Expresses condolences upon the death of Harvey "Van" LaVan Cliburn,
Jr., and posthumously commends his accomplishments
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To celebrate the life and accomplishments of Harvey LaVan Cliburn, Jr., and to express the2
sincere and heartfelt condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon his passing.3
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that members of the4
Louisiana Legislature learned of the death of Harvey "Van" LaVan Cliburn, Jr., on February5
27, 2013, at the age of seventy-eight years; and6
WHEREAS, Van Cliburn, a true Louisiana hero and one of the greatest pianists in7
the history of music, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 12, 1934, to the late Harvey8
LaVan Cliburn, Sr., and Sirilda "Rildia" Bee O'Bryan Cliburn; and9
WHEREAS, Rildia, an accomplished piano player in her own right and a piano10
teacher in Shreveport, realized that her son Van, at a very early age had a promising talent11
for the piano, often recalling fondly of Van at the age of three, following a piano lesson with12
one of her students, going almost immediately to the piano after her pupil left, and playing,13
by ear, the very musical piece that she had earlier used in teaching her older student; and14
WHEREAS, recognizing his artistic potential, she began piano lessons with him and15
continued as his only piano teacher until he was seventeen years of age, and it was during16
his early formative years as a young pianist in his home town of Shreveport that he first17
performed piano recitals in the auditorium at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum; and18
WHEREAS, he spoke with affectionate respect for his mother's excellence as a19
teacher and attributed the lyrical elegance of his playing to her by saying that, "My mother20
had a gorgeous singing voice, she always told me that the first instrument is the human21 HLS 14RS-4870 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 180
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voice. When you are playing the piano, it is not digital. You must find a singing sound-the1
'eye of the sound', she called it."; and2
WHEREAS, under the tutelage of his mother, he continued to develop, and at the age3
of twelve, he won a statewide piano competition that enabled him to debut with the Houston4
Symphony Orchestra, and at age seventeen, Van entered The Juilliard School in New York5
City, and at the young age of twenty, won the Levintritt Competition, which had not awarded6
a first-place prize since 1949 and which earned him debuts with such major orchestras as7
Cleveland, Denver, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, as well as a coveted New York8
Philharmonic debut with the great Dimitri Mitropoulos, which took place in Carnegie Hall9
on November 14, 1954; and10
WHEREAS, those early experiences would provide a very strong stage presence and11
challenge for the young and talented Van Cliburn that would ultimately lead to international12
fame beginning in 1958, when Van traveled behind the Iron Curtain to Moscow, USSR to13
compete in the first Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition and with the aspirations14
of a nation on his shoulders, he emerged as the gold medal winner against all odds and15
sealing his legacy as one of the most persuasive ambassadors of American culture, as well16
as one of the greatest pianists in the history of music; and17
WHEREAS, Van Cliburn being blessed as a naturally gifted pianist whose enormous18
hands had an uncommonly wide span which he used to develop a commanding technique,19
cultivated an exceptionally warm tone and manifested deep musical sensitivity and at its20
best, his playing had a surging romantic fervor, but one leavened by an unsentimental21
restraint that seemed peculiarly American which led the towering Russian pianist Sviatoslav22
Richter, a juror for the competition, to describe Van Cliburn as a genius-a word, he added,23
"I do not use lightly about performers."; and24
WHEREAS, following the competition, he triumphantly returned to the United States25
to a ticker tape parade in New York City, the first ever ticker tape celebration for a classical26
musician, and the first for a native son of Louisiana which led to the then Mayor of27
Shreveport, Robert R. Wagner, proclaiming at a ceremony at the Shreveport City Hall that,28
"With his two hands, Van Cliburn struck a chord which has resounded around the world,29
raising our prestige with artists and music lovers everywhere."; and30 HLS 14RS-4870 ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, with his historic 1958 victory at the first International Tchaikovsky1
Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War, Van Cliburn tore down cultural2
barriers years ahead of glasnost and perestroika, transcending politics by demonstrating the3
universality of classical music and as a world renowned pianist, Louisiana's own Van4
Cliburn continued to experience great popularity in the years that followed and proudly5
performed for royalty, heads of state in Europe, Asia, and South America, and for every6
president of the United States since Harry Truman; and7
WHEREAS, ever mindful of his Louisiana heritage, Van Cliburn returned again to8
Louisiana in 2006, and appeared as a Pennington Great Performers Series Artist with the9
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra; and10
WHEREAS, throughout his career, Van Cliburn was awarded numerous awards such11
as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors in 2001, the12
Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2003, the Russian Order13
of Friendship from President Vladimir Putin in October 2004, and most recently in 2011, he14
was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama, and it should be15
recognized that the three national awards presented by the presidents of the United States16
of America and Russia are the highest civilian awards presented by both countries; and17
WHEREAS, upon his death, The Wall Street Journal, when reporting on his death18
stated that Van Cliburn was a "cultural hero" who "rocketed to unheard-of stardom for a19
classical musician in the U.S." and went on to call him "the rare classical musician to enjoy20
rock star status"; and21
WHEREAS, upon his death the state of Louisiana lost one of its finest sons and22
because of his numerous accomplishments the passing of Harvey "Van" LaVan Cliburn, Jr.,23
leaves a void in the community and creates a genuine sense of profound sorrow with his24
friends and family; and25
WHEREAS, the memory of Harvey "Van" LaVan Cliburn, Jr, will remain eternal in26
the hearts and minds of his family, friends, and all of those who knew and loved him.27
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby28
celebrate the life and accomplishments of Harvey LaVan Cliburn, Jr., and expresses its29
sincere and heartfelt condolences upon his death.30 HLS 14RS-4870 ORIGINAL
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted1
to the family of Harvey LaVan Cliburn, Jr.2
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Burrell HCR No. 180
Expresses the condolences of the legislature upon the death of Harvey LaVan Cliburn, Jr.